Heltah Skeltah - Magnum Force (October 13, 1998)

At this point you may be damn near comatose from all of the turkey and trimmings, but you should at least try to finish reading this extra post before passing out on your keyboard. Enjoy!

Ruck and Rock of Heltah Skeltah sold about a quarter of a million copies of their debut, Nocturnal, which is an amazing number for East Coast underground rap (and is probably an inaccurate figure anyway, but you never know). These two soldiers from the Boot Camp Clik were praised for their skills, wordplay, and dark-as-shit production (provided mostly by Da Beatminerz), so after hooking up with the rest of their brethren for the collaborative effort For The People, Heltah Skeltah released their second effort, Magnum Force, in 1998.

Surprisingly, Magnum Force failed miserably with the critics, and music fans voted by using their money on coke and whores instead. Even with a first single, "I Ain't Havin' That", which was a moderate hit, Magnum Force topped out at about twelve copies sold, eleven of them purchased by the duo's parents, and internal pressures caused Ruck and Rock to break up the band: Da Rockness Monsta would eventually leave the Boot Camp Clik altogether in an attempt to go solo, but after catching a (still pending) charge for attempted murder (while allegedly moonlighting as a pimp (!)), he ended up rejoining the crew, while Ruck, also known as Sean Price, would establish himself as a much-beloved solo artist that may or may not have been offered a deal with Roc-A-Fella Records at one point.

So, what went wrong?

1. WORLDWIDE (ROCK THE WORLD)
Even when you sidestep the fact that this isn't a rap album intro, this shit worked for me, mainly because of the strings. This ended up being the best possible reintroduction to Ruck and Rock, although, for the first time, it's blatantly obvious that Sean Price is the better rapper of the two. Rock isn't a slouch on the mic, but there's something a bit...different about Ruck now.

2. CALL OF THE WILD (FEAT SUPREME, LIDU ROCK, STARANG WONDAH, HARDCORE, & DOC HOLIDAY)
For being only the second song on the motherfucking album, there are waaaay too many weed carriers present. Surprisingly, Starang Wondah also kind of sounds like shit, and Ruck isn't even on this fucking song, but Rock rocking over Self's beat still, well, rocked. And yes, I realize that I just used the same word in three different ways in a single sentence.

3. GUNZ 'N ONEZ (IZ U WIT ME) (FEAT METHOD MAN)
Considering the fact that Raekwon had a guest spot on the Cocoa Brovaz's album The Rude Awakening (on the far superior "Black Trump"), I suppose that a collaboration between the the supergroups that are the Wu-Tang Clan and the Boot Camp Clik shouldn't be surprising. (In fact, why haven't they released a full album together? They could aim for a world record: Most Rappers Ever To Appear On A Single Song Not Related To Charity Work Or A Mixtape Remix Of An Album Track. Or something.) Meth and his gracious hosts sound great, but Smoke's beat sounds like warmed-over ass, which never sounds good: as a result, this song also smells all kinds of terrible.

4. PERFECT JAB (FEAT SUPREME)
I assume Sean Price was in the john when Rock decided to collaborate with Supreme (from The Representativz). It's alright, but it's not real.

5. CALL TYRONE (SKIT)
...

6. CHICKA WOO (FEAT MIKE STWEART)
I can't speak for you, of course, but I know for a fact that I never requested for Sean Price to record a solo breakup anthem, complete with radio-friendly beat and an R&B singer on the hook. At least he alternates between pissed off and depressed, which is semi-realistic, and the title is relevant to nothing, which is just funny.

7. I AIN'T HAVIN' THAT (FEAT DOC HOLIDAY & STARANG WONDAH)
The lead-off single, which beat-jacks A Tribe Called Quest's "Hot Sex" to great effect, still manages to sound good today. Starang Wondah and a very prominent Redman vocal sample complete the package (although the other guest on the song, Doc Holiday, sounds decent as well). This was a different sound than what was expected from Heltah Skeltah, and the initial impressions of this single probably led to folks revolting on the Boot Camp Clik en masse, but I still like this song. I also always appreciated that the duo brought in Reggie Noble to actually appear in the song's clip.

8. 2 KEYS (SKIT)
...

9. BROWNSVILLE II LONG BEACH (FEAT THA DOGG POUND)
Can't say that I saw this collaboration coming in 1998. (Sure, Buckshot recorded a ton of shit with 2Pac, but still.) It doesn't take long for the listener to determine that this was a poorly-conceived concept, though. (Dat N---a) Daz Dillinger and Kurupt sound awkward over Daz's own fucking instrumental, which fails to invoke a West Coast-ish feel. However, Ruck and Rock manage to not sound completely horrible.

10. 2 KEYS II (SKIT)
...

11. MAGNUM FORCE (FEAT RUSTEE JUXX, LIDU ROCK, & SUPREME)
Already there are waaay too many guest stars on Magnum Force (both the song and the album). The hook is pretty goddamn ridiculous on this boring-ass track, and you could throw in twenty more rappers if you wanted to: it won't sound any better, guys.

12. 2 KEYS III (SKIT)
...

13. SEAN WIGGINZ
This short Sean Price solo cut is ruined by an act of self-sabotage midway through, but up until that point, Ruck rips Nod's beat to shreds. Too bad it had to end the way it did.

14. FORGET ME KNOTS
So, Rock, you plan on staying exactly the same until you go triple platinum, eh? Given the weak economy, combined with the way the record industry works today, I guess we'll be expecting you to stay exactly the same.

15. BLACK FONZIRELLIZ
The title itself is pretty funny. Unfortunately, it also calls to mind an image of Ruck and Rock jumping the shark. Given the fact that this song features the two rappers speaking directly to the ladies that wouldn't buy a fucking Heltah Skeltah album if you paid them, that image is probably not that far off.

16. DO THE KNOWLEDGE (SKIT)
...

17. MFC LAWS (FEAT YOUNG NOBLE, STORM, NAPOLEON, & DOC HOLIDAY)
The M.F.C. (which stands for either Magnum Force Crew or Magnum Force Clik, but won't really matter to you, since all of the weed carriers within suck anyway) team up with two members of 2Pac's weed carrier crew Tha Outlawz for a pretty boring song. I wonder if there was a global shortage of potholders for the rest of the rappers in the industry while Magnum Force was being recorded.

18. HOLD YOUR HEAD UP (FEAT ANTHONY HAMILTON)
Originally, I found it hilarious that the guest crooner Anthony Hamilton was stuck in the background, even on his hook, but he gets his time to shine toward the end. I actually thought this shit was pretty good, although nobody buys Heltah Skeltah albums for their serious work.

19. GANG'S ALL HERE (FEAT BOOT CAMP CLIK & M.F.C.)
A 9-minute-plus posse cut featuring every single artist from both the BCC and the M.F.C. (which means you'll be listening to roughly forty-seven shortened verses). With this many collaborators, there is no fucking way that this song can be any good, but there are a few outstanding contributions: unsurprisingly, they come from the Boot Camp Clik members and not from the younger guns.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Magnum Force starts off promisingly, but then the album takes a turn for the bizarre, with ill-conceived radio-friendly attempts for no fucking reason, and collaborations that are completely uncalled for (not to mention the number of weed carriers on some of these tracks - seriously, somebody should have turned off the faucet). As a result, this album isn't as consistent as Nocturnal, and in turn, really really really sucks. When the stars align, this shit rocks, but more often than not, the sky is overcast.

BUY OR BURN? I would only recommend a burn, and even then, only to folks that are interested in tracking Sean Price's progression as a rapper. All others need not apply.

BEST TRACKS: "I Ain't Havin' That"; "Worldwide (Rock The World)"

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
Heltah Skeltah - Nocturnal

Heltah Skeltah - Nocturnal (June 18, 1996)

The cover of Nocturnal may remind you of a poorly financed Italian horror flick, but rest assured, it's just the product of two minds that aren't as demented as they would like you to believe. Heltah Skeltah, made up of rappers Rock (also known as Da Rockness Monsta) and Ruck (who does business today as Sean Price, to a lot of blogger acclaim), are a New York-based rap duo who are affiliated with hip hop supergroup, the Boot Camp Clik, whose roster also includes old-school heads Black Moon and Smif-N-Wessun, along with their modern-day equivalent Originoo Gunn Clappaz.

Ruck and Rock made their debut on Smif-N-Wessun's debut album Dah Shinin' in 1995, and quickly paired themselves up with their counterparts in the O.G.C. and formed the Fab 5, which is approximately the nine hundred thousandth time a rapper has somehow referenced the Beatles in some fashion. Together, the Fab 5 released one single, "Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka / Blah!", which was successful amongst hip hop fans that carry their lives in a Jansport strapped to the opposite of their fronts. Both sides of the 12-inch single showcased the appealing chemistry of the two crews, which gave them the confidence to proceed in their respective careers: the Originoo Gunn Clappaz would release their debut album Da Storm in the fall of 1996 (and you can read the review, which I apparently wrote on this very blog over a year ago, by clicking here), but Heltah Skeltah was marketed first by the Boot Camp Clik: their debut, Nocturnal, which was released by Priority Records in an exclusive distribution partnership with the Boot Camp Clik's label, Duck Down, hit store shelves a few months prior to Da Storm.

Nocturnal was quickly hailed as an underground classic, thanks to its dark, grimy beats (something that was missing from the New York sound in 1996, unless you were a rapper that happened to be a part of that other New York supergroup, the Wu-Tang Clan) and the lyricism of Rock and Ruck, who sealed their social commentary in a package chock-full of boasts that would ensure their message made it to as many hip hop heads as possible. Nocturnal never earned any plaques by the RIAA, but its critical acclaim allowed the duo to live another day in the industry.

Here we go.

1. INTRO (HERE WE COME) (FEAT STARANG WONDAH)
How cool is it that the first voice you hear on Nocturnal is Starang Wondah, one of my favorite underrated emcees? He's not even in the group! He does his part to introduce Rock to the masses (Ruck is somewhere chilling in the background, I'm sure), and in return Rock spits some rhymes, making this an atypical rap album intro. Too bad the beat is fucking weak, and it was provided by two producers, Buckshot and Lord Jamar (of Brand Nubian). This is not a good sign.

2. LETHA BRAINZ BLO
The title sounds like it would fit more appropriately on an M.O.P. album. The instrumental (provided by Baby Paul from Da Beatminerz) also sounds a lot less confrontational than you would expect from a song with such an aggressive handle. Kind of disappointing, really, although Sean Price does alright with his first lyrical foray on Nocturnal.

3. UNDASTAND
For some reason, this song is edited on my copy, but hip hop doesn't actually need curse words to function, my two readers. (I know, right?) The simple beat (also provided by Baby Paul) doesn't intrude Ruck and Rock's personal space, allowing them to rip shit without any obstructions, which is nice.

4. WHO DAT?
This may be less than a minute and a half long, but rest assured, this is an actual song. Kind of dull, though.

5. SEAN PRICE (FEAT ILLA NOYZ)
Oddly, a track that you would assume to be Ruck's solo shot is accompanied by another rapper, one that is not his rhyme partner. However, when you discover that Illa Noyz is Sean Price's younger brother, it'll make sense to you. (Illa Noyz should not be mistaken for, as if anybody would even put these two concepts on the same plane, Sufjan Steven's Illinois, his rock album that was part of his quest to produce an album about every single state in the United States. Whatever happened to that guy, anyway? Did he give up after Michigan and Illinois?) Ruck comes off as pretty good, in that "you will want to watch out for him, because he may do some big things as a solo artist in about ten years or so" kind of way.

6. CLAN'S, POSSE'S, CREW'S & CLIK'S
I was hoping for a lyrical dissertation that would point out the subtle differences between each classification of grouping, but instead, I got a rap song. How weird is that?

7. THERAPY (FEAT VINIA MOJICA)
This song was remixed and released as a single at one point: there's even a video floating around, of which all I can remember is the chick in the nurse's outfit writhing around on a gurney in a negligee. Even with a slightly tweaked beat, this instrumental is lackluster, but the lyrics are good and topical. The remix does the lyricism one better, though, as Ruck and Rock re-recorded (and slightly tweaked and shuffled) their verses in a more subdued manner, which makes the track that much more substantial.

8. PLACE TO BE
Ruck and Rock each spit one verse over an appropriately dark beat by Shawn J. Period. My only complaint is that it's too fucking short. But you can't win them all.

9. SOLDIERS GONE PSYCO
Another appropriately dark beat, but unlike the last song, I found this one to be boring as shit.

10. THE SQUARE (TRIPLE R) (FEAR THA REPRESENTATIVZ)
The odd reference to "that karate instructor from the Bart Simpson commercial" notwithstanding, this is really just your average collaboration with the weed carriers in the Boot Camp Clik. Tha Representativz are made up of rappers Supreme and Lidu Rock, who is actually Rock's younger brother (and is deserving of at least a minute amount of credit for not going with the obvious rap name 'Lil Rock'), and to this day they must just sit around wondering who in the fuck allowed them to name their two man crew with such a terrible moniker.

11. DA WIGGY
This song received some burn around my way, and it made me hope that this was going to be the second single. (That slot went to the remix of "Therapy" instead.) Mr. Walt (of Da Beatminerz)'s drums are dusty, and when I say dusty, I mean early Wu-Tang dusty. Ruck and Rock rip the shit out of this track, even though the goofy voices on the hook are about as annoying as Warren G's G-Child character and Timbaland's Lil Man. Regardless, this shit knocks.

12. GETTIN ASS GETTIN ASS
A poorly executed skit, in which Ruck calls up a female friend, trying to convince her that a booty call would be a good idea. These type of skits tend to work more if it doesn't sound blatantly obvious that the third party is standing right next to you in the booth and is not, in fact, on the phone. Just a thought.

13. LEFLAUR LEFLAH ESHKOSHKA (FEAT ORIGINOO GUNN CLAPPAZ)
This is the same song that was originally credited to the Fab 5 (the two rappers in Heltah Skeltah combined with the three members of O.G.C.), but it's still enjoyable as hell. Highlights for Max include Starang Wondah and Sean Price passing the mic back and forth, hitting the "back" button to hear this shit again, and the sheer ridiculousness of the imagined words that make up the title.

14. PROWL (FEAT LOUIEVILLE SLUGGAH)
Why does Louieville Sluggah appear on two songs in a row on Nocturnal (he's part of O.G.C., so obviously he popped up on the previous track) when he's not in the fucking group? I suppose it doesn't really matter, since he sounds pretty good on this track, which is by far the most effective beat-jacking of Portishead's "Sour Times" that I have ever heard in a hip hop song.

15. GRATE UNKNOWN
One of my favorite aspects regarding the Boot Camp Clik (and one of their most aggravating traits, since I am a writer and all) is their insistence on misspelling words that you wouldn't expect rappers to misspell. Not content with adding on "-az" to words that typically end with "-ers", the BCC goes out of their way to destroy words like "psycho" and "cliques", and while the term "grate" isn't technically the wrong spelling, it is the incorrect usage of a homonym. Oh, you wanted to know about the song? Trust me, you really don't.

16. OPERATION LOCK DOWN (FEAT BUCKSHOT)
The first single (produced by E-Swift from Tha Alkaholiks!) and video, in which Ruck and Rock play Native Americans and sit in their teepees rapping to the camera when they're not getting their face paint reapplied by native makeup aritsts with big breasts. This track is several degrees more melodic than anything else on Nocturnal, and both Ruck and Rock's respective deliveries are the calmest they would ever be. Very nice. Also, Ruck's performance in the video is also pretty awesome, especially his timing with the small fire burning in his tent.

17. OUTRO
A random conversation in the studio, scored by the still-playing instrumental (and, strangely, the chorus) of "Operation Lock Down". This is just plain odd.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Listening to it today, Nocturnal bogs down in spots, and some of the production lacks that spark that will help the current audience remain interested. However, some of the songs rock harder than I remember from twelve years ago. (Has it seriously been that long since Nocturnal was released? Fuck!) Overall, I found the album to be enjoyable, although it's not a better effort than O.G.C.'s Da Storm, but, as my two readers will recall, I'm just biased toward Starang Wondah.

BUY OR BURN? If you can find this one for a few bucks in the used CD bin, you should spend the money. Sure, you'll skip past a few of the songs and the skit toward the end, but there will be at least three songs that you will like.

BEST TRACKS: "Da Wiggy"; "Prowl"; "Undastand"; "Place To Be"; "Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka"; "Operation Lock Down"

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
Read all of the Boot Camp Clik posts by clicking here.